If the first day of the Rachael Mullenix murder trial was full of allegations against the defendant, the second day’s accusations were against her slain mother. The trial of Mullenix on charges of conspiring with her boyfriend in 2006 to murder her mother, Barbara Mullenix, continued Thursday with testimony from Bruce Mullenix, Rachael’s father. Bruce Mullenix, who was divorced from Barbara but let them both live in his Huntington Beach condo, told jurors his slain ex-wife made threats and acted abusive when she’d had too much to drink.

If the strong westerly winds would just back off for a few days, fishing along the entire south coast could bust wide open. The stage is set for an awesome late-summer fishing season that should continue well into the early fall months. Albacore are slowly moving into one-day range, but are hung up by massive schools of small anchovies and sauries southeast of the 60-Mile Bank. A few of the overnight boats operating out of Davey's Locker and Newport Sportfishing Landing are making runs to the fishing grounds, but the counts have not been anything to talk about as tough conditions on the outside are keeping the longfins from coming to the boat.

At one point, they were in danger of disappearing entirely. Because of development and the use of pesticides that damaged eggs, the bald eagle -- the only eagle unique to North America -- ended up on the endangered species list, with few remaining along the Southern California coast and nearby islands where they once thrived. Across the nation in 1963, there were only 417 known breeding pairs. Bans on pesticides and intensive breeding programs, including one on Catalina Island, have helped the national symbol make a remarkable comeback.

Jenny Marder County water quality experts say a natural decaying process is causing the foul odor and dying marine life in the Talbert Channel. When organic material decays in stagnant water, it can cause sulfuric odors, a milky white plume and oxygen levels too low for fish to live, said Mary Anne Skorpanich, watershed planner at the Public Facilities and Resources Department. The process is known as eutrophication. Extra organic material caused by red tide, low tidal variation and urban runoff diversions upstream could all be contributing to the low oxygen levels in the water, she said.

Newport Beach's harbor commission is set to consider whether the first step in stifling noisy sea lions near harbor-side homes is to make it illegal to feed the marine mammals. The commission has the power to recommend new ordinances to the City Council. Today, the body is scheduled to discuss two proposals that, if ultimately approved by the council, would ban feeding wildlife and throwing items such as discarded fish into Newport Bay. The proposed bans, intended to discourage sea lions from spending time in Newport Harbor by limiting food sources, only mark a starting point, Harbor Commissioner Seymour Beek said.

In California, Orange County was second only to Los Angeles County in the number of times beaches were closed or unsafe last year, according to a survey released Thursday. The study, titled "Testing the Waters" and compiled by the Natural Resources Defense Council, did show improvements around local beaches. In 2004, there was a 26% drop in instances health officials shut down beaches or posted notices alerting beachgoers to unhealthful conditions.

Now that skate park is open, we need more I attended the grand opening of Costa Mesa's skate park Tuesday and was very impressed. After a generation of feet-dragging and talking, the new Volcom Park is terrific. Congratulations to the politicians who finally agreed to build it, to the city staff who got it done and to Volcom for its sponsorship and support. My unofficial poll, conducted at the opening, tells me that the young people love it -- and want more, more, more.

Amid testimony from witnesses ranging from DNA experts to police investigators to the defendant’s own father, the trial of teenage murder suspect Rachael Scarlett Mullenix continued throughout the week. Prosecutors were still calling witnesses in their attempt to convince jurors that Mullenix was a lying manipulator who persuaded boyfriend Ian Allen to help her kill her mother, Barbara Mullenix. Not all the prosecution’s witnesses cooperated in that aim. Bruce Mullenix, who was divorced from Barbara but let them both live in his Huntington Beach condo, told jurors last week that his slain ex-wife made threats and acted abusive when she’d had too much to drink.

Send AROUND TOWN items to the Daily Pilot, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626; by e-mail to o7lindsay.sandhamf7o7@latimes.comf7; by fax to (714) 966-4667; or by calling (714) 966-4625. Include the time, date and location of the event, as well as a contact phone number. TILL OCT. 22 Project Playhouse, a six-week event with elaborate kid-size playhouses on display and sold at public auction, will be held at Fashion Island Center in Newport Beach.

Amid testimony from witnesses ranging from DNA experts to police investigators to the defendant’s own father, the trial of teenage murder suspect Rachael Scarlett Mullenix continued throughout the week. Prosecutors were still calling witnesses in their attempt to convince jurors that Mullenix was a lying manipulator who persuaded boyfriend Ian Allen to help her kill her mother, Barbara Mullenix. Not all the prosecution’s witnesses cooperated in that aim. Bruce Mullenix, who was divorced from Barbara but let them both live in his Huntington Beach condo, told jurors last week that his slain ex-wife made threats and acted abusive when she’d had too much to drink.

If the first day of the Rachael Mullenix murder trial was full of allegations against the defendant, the second day’s accusations were against her slain mother. The trial of Mullenix on charges of conspiring with her boyfriend in 2006 to murder her mother, Barbara Mullenix, continued Thursday with testimony from Bruce Mullenix, Rachael’s father. Bruce Mullenix, who was divorced from Barbara but let them both live in his Huntington Beach condo, told jurors his slain ex-wife made threats and acted abusive when she’d had too much to drink.

Send AROUND TOWN items to the Daily Pilot, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626; by e-mail to o7lindsay.sandhamf7o7@latimes.comf7; by fax to (714) 966-4667; or by calling (714) 966-4625. Include the time, date and location of the event, as well as a contact phone number. TILL OCT. 22 Project Playhouse, a six-week event with elaborate kid-size playhouses on display and sold at public auction, will be held at Fashion Island Center in Newport Beach.

Newport Beach's harbor commission is set to consider whether the first step in stifling noisy sea lions near harbor-side homes is to make it illegal to feed the marine mammals. The commission has the power to recommend new ordinances to the City Council. Today, the body is scheduled to discuss two proposals that, if ultimately approved by the council, would ban feeding wildlife and throwing items such as discarded fish into Newport Bay. The proposed bans, intended to discourage sea lions from spending time in Newport Harbor by limiting food sources, only mark a starting point, Harbor Commissioner Seymour Beek said.

Now that skate park is open, we need more I attended the grand opening of Costa Mesa's skate park Tuesday and was very impressed. After a generation of feet-dragging and talking, the new Volcom Park is terrific. Congratulations to the politicians who finally agreed to build it, to the city staff who got it done and to Volcom for its sponsorship and support. My unofficial poll, conducted at the opening, tells me that the young people love it -- and want more, more, more.

If the strong westerly winds would just back off for a few days, fishing along the entire south coast could bust wide open. The stage is set for an awesome late-summer fishing season that should continue well into the early fall months. Albacore are slowly moving into one-day range, but are hung up by massive schools of small anchovies and sauries southeast of the 60-Mile Bank. A few of the overnight boats operating out of Davey's Locker and Newport Sportfishing Landing are making runs to the fishing grounds, but the counts have not been anything to talk about as tough conditions on the outside are keeping the longfins from coming to the boat.

In California, Orange County was second only to Los Angeles County in the number of times beaches were closed or unsafe last year, according to a survey released Thursday. The study, titled "Testing the Waters" and compiled by the Natural Resources Defense Council, did show improvements around local beaches. In 2004, there was a 26% drop in instances health officials shut down beaches or posted notices alerting beachgoers to unhealthful conditions.

At one point, they were in danger of disappearing entirely. Because of development and the use of pesticides that damaged eggs, the bald eagle -- the only eagle unique to North America -- ended up on the endangered species list, with few remaining along the Southern California coast and nearby islands where they once thrived. Across the nation in 1963, there were only 417 known breeding pairs. Bans on pesticides and intensive breeding programs, including one on Catalina Island, have helped the national symbol make a remarkable comeback.

Jenny Marder County water quality experts say a natural decaying process is causing the foul odor and dying marine life in the Talbert Channel. When organic material decays in stagnant water, it can cause sulfuric odors, a milky white plume and oxygen levels too low for fish to live, said Mary Anne Skorpanich, watershed planner at the Public Facilities and Resources Department. The process is known as eutrophication. Extra organic material caused by red tide, low tidal variation and urban runoff diversions upstream could all be contributing to the low oxygen levels in the water, she said.